


The Darkness

by silvertrails



Series: Second Age Arc [8]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 14:58:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17562662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertrails/pseuds/silvertrails
Summary: After an Orc raid, Oropher mourns his dead wife. Thranduil takes care of everything.





	The Darkness

**The Darkness  
By CC   
June, 2009**

This story is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of J.R.R. Tolkien. No profit is made and no harm is intended. 

This story is set in the Second Age, a hundred years before the Battle of Dagorlad. It is better understood after reading In Amon Lanc.

* * *

Oropher stood alone in his tent, trying to take in the fact that he no longer had a wife. His dear Eitheleth, his beloved companion, had been taken down by a poisoned dart while their people moved north once again. The Elves had been attacked by Orcs, too few to defeat them, but enough to take down part of Oropher’s people. Eitheleth had died while trying to protect the children. 

The Orcs had escaped, and the Elves had buried their dead and marked the place with a wreath made of berries and oak leaves. It would not last the season, but it wasn’t supposed to. Eitheleth and the others rested now under the land of the forest they had so loved, and their bodies would give life back to the earth that had nurtured them. 

Evil had spread all over the land, and even Amdir was struggling to keep Lorinand safe. The increasing darkness had sundered the two Sindar Kings, and there was no way to know when they would be able to see each other again. They had tried to go back to the Elves’ old ways after Morgoth was defeated by the Host of Valinor, but now a new evil, Gorthaur, was rising in the forest, its’ darkness tainting it.

Oropher looked down and realized that he still held Eitheleth’s bloodied dress in his hands. He looked at it for a moment and raised it to his face, closing his eyes and trying to find any trace of his wife’s scent in the torn fabric. 

“Papa?”

It was Thranduil. 

“We are leaving in a few hours. This place is not safe.”

Of course Thranduil would be talking care of his duty, keeping his pain inside. Oropher felt proud of his son, and ashamed of himself. He should be leading his people, giving them hope, not mourning his wife as if he were the only one who had lost a loved one. 

“You should rest, Papa,” Thranduil said, gently taking the bloodied dress from him. “There are guards in the trees, and I have given the necessary orders to break camp at dawn. You need to get some sleep.”

Oropher nodded, suddenly feeling very tired. He would be all right at dawn, after a few hours of sleep, Thranduil was saying. They had fought bravely against the Orcs, but Oropher alone had killed more than anyone. It was no wonder he was so tired now. 

Oropher sat on the makeshift cot and slowly took his boots off. “Have you sent messengers to Lorinand?” 

Thranduil shook his head. “It isn’t possible yet, but once we are settled in our new home, I will make sure to communicate with our allies. They are safe, Papa, at least for now.”

Oropher nodded and lay down on the cot so Thranduil could go back to his duties and eventually, rest. He wondered if his son knew of his love for the king of Lorinand, if Amroth himself knew. Oropher and Amdir had married Silvan ladies to seal their peoples’ alliance. It had been necessary, and there had been nothing between the two kings but long conversations whenever they had visited each other’s realms. Still, if Thranduil knew he might not understand that Oropher had loved Eitheleth and would never forget her. 

“Sleep, Papa,” Thranduil said quietly, and the hardness in his expression made Oropher’s spirit ache. They were at war again, and the blow had been close this time. Oropher only hoped that Amdir’s words in Amon Lanc never came true. None of them could die before the Darkness was vanquished.


End file.
